Protection for Rats and Mice: Front-Page News

Yep, rats and mice are finally having their day. Saturday’s Wall Street Journal (the second-largest paper in the country and the most respected) features a front-page article about the work of PETA and others to gain protection for rats and mice in laboratories.

Shockingly, even though rats and mice comprise more than 95 percent of the animals used in experiments, they are specifically excluded from the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), the only federal law that protects animals in laboratories. According to the U.S. government, in its infinite wisdom, rats and mice (as well as birds and “cold-blooded” animals) are not “animals.” (It’s nonsensical, we know.)

That’s why PETA has been doing end-runs around the worthless AWA by going straight to the companies that are required to test their products and pointing out the benefits of using effective and humane alternatives. We also monitor the various government agencies’ testing programs and object every time we learn about a proposed test on animals that is redundant or for which non-animal alternatives are available. By doing this, we have been able to get dozens of tests on animals stopped (or the number of animals used greatly reduced), which has saved tens of thousands of animals’ lives.

We think it’s about time that our elected officials thought about rats and mice, don’t you? Send a message to your members of Congress demanding that rats and mice be treated like the sensitive animals (not vegetables or minerals) they are.

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Rats and mice will obviously be included in the Animal Welfare Act in U.S., as these animals are at least as sentient animals like any other animal. Rats and mice have both mental and physical feelings, and they feel worry, anxiety, fear, stress, pain, soreness, discomfort, and suffering in the same way as people. Rats and mice are mammals, and they are warm-blooded animals. And what´s the unintelligent talk that rats and mice would not be animals?.. Clearly that rats and mice are animals, what would they be otherwise. Rats and mice are obviously animals, and they are very highly animals, with a very high intelligence . Rats and mice are also very clean animals. They are also very sensual delicate, fragile, and sensitive to pain and infection sensitive animals that need extra protection in all areas. Rats and mice are also very fragite and vulnerable. Rats and mice have very existence of consciousness, and they are also spiritual animals. Politicians in a parliament and government that does not get it, and who does not want to understand and realize that rats and mice are high-intelligent and warm-blooded mammals, must not sit in the Nord American government at all. These incompetent politicans lack both knowledge of the animals and they lack empathy for sensing small creatures. Moreover, it is incitement to animal group and discrimination against rats and mice, these animals may not be included in the Animal Welfare Act. Rats and mice should absolutely be included in the Animal Welfare Act, and it shall be done immediately. Thanks PETA, for taking up these so very important animal substances, which affect these legal rights and remove preferred animals, such as rats and mice. I also hope that you at PETA can affect President Barack Obama in additional elections in autumn 2014. Then Obama and the Democrats will hopefully get the advantage in the House, and that he can change the law on AWA and research firms, so that rats and mice may be included in the Animal Welfare Act.

omg i feel so sorry for the rats my friend keeps rats and they are amazing. Is there anything someone aged 13 can do to help them? They shouldn’t do this especialy to a small defenceless animal its stupid. I know it’s hard to test on humans but that does not mean that its ok to test on rats why would it?

I work in a university lab with mice and rats and can tell you that many of the scenes featured in the video eg. no anesthetic a clearly sick looking animal would be considered unacceptable there. Yes it’s animal testingbut it is an Animal Care and Use Committee requirement that we do as much as possible to provide a humane environment and do everything possible to minimize suffering or pain experienced by the animals at every stage of the process. They are definitely more well cared for than what I’ve ever seen on say a factory farm. We also have a vet that may be called if there is a problem that cannot be handled in the course of their normal weekly health exams. There are many experimental manipulations and behavioral measures that simply cannot be performed in a better way at this time. Yes some physiological processes are more translatable to humans and some are not. It just depends on what you’re looking at. I don’t think I could ever demonize mice or rats again though. They’re definitely their own creatures not really their fault they can become disease vectors in the wild or that they raid poorly kept Chinese buffets at night…the latter is a smart move on their part!…and I think I’d love to keep a rodent as a pet.

It is terrible rats and mice are excluded from the Animal Welfare Act. They are animals that deserve protection. While experiments have been successful in uncovering useful medicine surely there is a more humane way to test drugs on animals. Furthermore with no laws enforcing ethical experimental behaviour scientists are free to handle these poor creatures any way they wish. Animals were not put on this Earth for our use we need to protect them and make certain there are laws keeping them safe. Good for you PETA for making the public aware of such malicious behaviour.

Centayne If you read up on animal experimentation you will find that it actually leads to inaccurate results posing a danger to humans. Therefore it is unethical and unscientific. PETA should stay away from animal welfare arguments ie. making animal exploitation more humane as it works against what we are trying to achieve in the longer term complete abolition of animal use.

It is Horrible Torture. Now Imagine working as one of thoose scientist’s or just as a worser in such factory. God. I would feel so so fked up. And a thing to thoose who do it Or the scientist Test it on YOURSELF! Not the poor animals.

I am antivivisection and have noticed that many lab.assistants are female. Childbearing like dentistry has become painfree these days. Women demand anaesthetically induced labour for instance. How then can they justify their actions in submitting sentient animals to endure pain without anaesthetics?

im not a rodent lover but i think all animals have a right to not being treated cruelly and lab testing is horrible please end messing with animals! theres got to be better ways then using animals! with the tecnology and studies weve learned from in the past! they have rights were not the only creature put on this earth wake up companys!! rob rondanini

For many years I have kept a small number of white footed and field mice. They are clearly as sentient as people. It astounds me that a ‘civilized’ society treats the life and death of mice and most other nonpets with such apathy andor lack of empathy. Hopefully your effort here is a sign of progress.

I own a hamster Krisna Dasa is his name is a lovely animal which has enormous coincidences with the human perception of things I can not understand why on earth they cannot be included by the AWA. I usually observe my hamster and I am convinced these animals look for love and what is more my Krishna Dasa has much more intelligence than many people think normally

I agree that animal testing for frivolous purposes i.e. cosmetic is reprehensible but in truth there are not many alternatives for scientists trying to save lives since mice share a huge amount of DNA with humans and have the advantage of quick reproduction that the scientists can control. People against using mice in labs should consider that 1 lab animals are actually treated and fed MUCH better than livestock and many pets 2 their pain IS considered and procedures always minimize their suffering and 3 you will realize your selfish hypocrisy when your mother dies of Parkinson’s or you yourself are suffering from a disease that can best be researched by animal testing. No one enjoys using these animals but they are treated as well as possible and result in so many human lives saved lives of people that could potentially become the next president great inventor doctor Gandhi or revolutionary. No matter what the impact of a mouse’s life is never going the same impact as a human’s could. The benefits outweight the costs.

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Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights? Read more.